Heather Evans, Head of Sustainability Consultancy at Rider Levett Bucknall UK was named the Rising Star of the North, North Wales and Northern Ireland at the third annual British Council for Offices (BCO) NextGen Awards.
The Awards are part of the BCO’s NextGen programme, which sets out to mentor and encourage the next generation of professionals to become future leaders in the industry, whilst providing a platform for new talent to share ideas. The awards dinner in London was attended by the country’s top designers, developers, architects and occupiers under the age of 35. It celebrated the achievements and successes of young professionals in the commercial property sector across the UK, and the individuals who mentored them.
The BCO NextGen Rising Star award recognises an under 35’s outstanding contribution to the office sector in their region. Heather Evans was named as the North of England, North Wales and Northern Ireland’s winner by a panel of local judges.
The judges noted Heather’s remarkable career history – joining RLB as an Environmental Assistant in 2014 and progressing to her current role as Head of Sustainability Consultancy in under four years with the company.
Heather, who is based in the Manchester office, has had a key role in developing RLB’s Sustainability offering, helping them to build the market-leading SKA consultancy service they offer today. Her team has also recently certified the first Gold, Silver and Bronze SKA Higher Education projects in the country. Working alongside RICS, Heather developed the criteria for the SKA scheme, and has been instrumental in raising the profile of SKA nationally.
Heather’s passion for sustainability and wellbeing in commercial workplaces led her to speak at the BCO Conference in Berlin on a panel discussing how the industry can design for healthy, inclusive working environments. She also regularly presents workshops on wellness, multigenerational design and sustainability as part of her roles across a wide range of industry groups; including BCO NextGen, Forum for Tomorrow, pro-Manchester, Manchester Young Professionals and Women in Property.
Robert Phillips, Project Director at Cartwright Pickard and member of the BCO NextGen committee in the North of England, commented: “Heather has had an impressive career to-date – her journey from Environmental Assistant to Head of Sustainability Consulting in just four years should be widely celebrated, and inspire others joining our industry. Her success is testament to the commitment, passion and energy that she brings to work with her each day.”
Katrina Kostic Samen, President of the BCO, added: “Heather left a lasting impression amongst the judging panel, her dedication to the industry and determination to constantly challenge herself and her team is particularly admirable – many congratulations, Heather!”
Matt Brooker, National Head of Commercial for RLB said: “We are delighted that Heather has been recognised as the Rising Star of the North at the awards – an acknowledgement that is incredibly well deserved. Nurturing and developing our staff is one, if not the, most important roles we can do as in turn this drives the services we offer our clients, our reputation and our business success.”
